Marella Cruises adds two delicious new afternoon tea experiences

Marella Cruises is giving its afternoon tea offering a sweet and savoury shake-up with two brand-new concepts launching across the fleet from August 2025: The Chocolate Bar – Afternoon Tea and The Cheese Table – Afternoon Tea.

These new themed menus will be part of the line’s all-inclusive offering and will alternate every two weeks on board, giving guests the chance to enjoy both during their cruise.

Marella’s The Chocolate Bar – Afternoon Tea: a cocoa lover’s dream

If you’re partial to a chocolate fix, The Chocolate Bar – Afternoon Tea delivers indulgence in every bite. Each treat is infused with white, milk or dark chocolate — from rich chocolate scones and patisseries to mini cakes and a Baker’s Box filled with chocolate twists, chocolate strudel and loaded chocolate chip cookies.

Centre stage is a flowing chocolate fountain, perfect for dipping fruit, marshmallows and pastries. Guests can also head to the Build Your Own Chocolate Trifle station to layer rich brownies and silky chocolate mousse with toppings including whipped cream, shaved chocolate, salted caramel, fruit compotes, crushed waffles and chocolate sauce.

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Marella’s The Cheese Table – Afternoon Tea: a savoury spin on tradition

Cheese fans on Marella Cruises are in for a treat with The Cheese Table – Afternoon Tea. This menu comprises sweet and savoury, hot and cold, with highlights including The Raclette Bar — molten cheese poured over fresh sourdough bread, paired with gourmet accompaniments.

A curated Cheese Board offers five different cheeses served with grapes, crackers, celery, apple, pickled onions, mustard and cornichons. Guests can tuck into savoury bites, cheese and bread twists, sandwiches, sweet and savoury scones, patisseries and mini cakes. For dessert, the Build Your Own Cheesecake Cone station lets you fill a cone with creamy vanilla cheesecake mix and add toppings such as lemon curd, salted caramel, berry compote or biscuit crumbs.

– READ MORE: Complete guide to Marella Cruises line –

Where to try the new afternoon teas

Both new concepts will join Marella’s popular Great Musical Afternoon Tea — a weekly event (costing £18.95 per person) inspired by West End shows with dishes themed around famous musicals.

From August 2025, The Chocolate Bar and The Cheese Table will be served in buffet venues across the fleet: Islands (Marella Discovery and Marella Discovery 2), The Market Place (Marella Explorer and Marella Explorer 2) and The Kitchens (Marella Voyager).

Marella buffet upgrades across the fleet

It’s not just afternoon tea getting an upgrade. Marella Cruises is also enhancing buffet areas across its ships with new additions like a fruit cutting station offering produce from around the world and a pop-up salad bar for fresh, made-to-order greens.

Luke Saunders, Food and Drink Development Manager at Marella Cruises, commented on the announcement: “We are pleased to be expanding our afternoon tea selection onboard across our ships. After two successful trials across a couple of ships, feedback from customers shows us that they love the latest afternoon teas. We are looking forward to our new and returning customers getting their sweet and savoury fix for when they are next onboard.”

Right, we’re off to the gym.

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